The present invention relates to the art of weaving fabrics and relates, more particularly, to method and apparatus for weaving fabrics of novel construction wherein pattern forming in the fabric is accomplished simultaneously with formation of the fabric.
Conventional looms for weaving fabrics wherein two sets of yarns are interlaced at right angles to each other are old and well known in the art. In these looms warp yarns are led from a beam of such warp yarns, the warp yarns generally moving as a sheet of parallel yarns and constituting a first set of yarns. The second "set of yarns" so-called, may actually be but a single yarn called "filling". The filling is laid between the warp yarns in an area of the loom commonly called the shed. In the shed the warp yarns are divided by the action of the harnesses which alternately raise and lower various of the warp yarns so that a V-opening constituting the shed is formed. The filling is projected through the shed, usually one pick at a time, and at right angles to the warp yarns. In accordance with the present invention, projection of the filling as just described may be by any of a variety of means such as air, water or a so-called sword or rapier which carries the yarn mechanically through the shed. After the filling is inserted across the shed, a comb-like member, the reed, is thrust forward to beat the filling into the fabric.
The reed is fixed to a lay mechanism operating in an oscillating motion forward and backwards. As the fabric is formed, the warp is unwound from the beam by let-off mechanism. This is associated with winding of the woven fabric on a cloth roll or take-up. The shed formation alluded to above, in a simple weave, will repeat every two cycles. That is to say, the warp yarns of the sheet are lead through the heddles of the harnesses with ever other warp yarn passing through a first of the harnesses and the intervening warp yarns passing through a second harness. Each of the harnesses is alternately raised and lowered so that when one of the harnesses is in it top position the other harness is in its lower position. When the harnesses are in their maximum upper and lower positions, the shed is fully open and the sheet of warp yarns which in shedding is, in fact, two sheets one passing through the first harness and the other being guided by the second harness are separated to form a V-shaped tunnel or shed through which the filling is projected. After the filling has been inserted through the shed, the harnesses simultaneously shift to respective upper and lower positions so that the two warp sheets become level with each other while the reed is abruptly moved forward to beat up the filling, i.e., to push the filling into the fabric at the fell of the fabric.
In conventional looms of the type just described in general terms, it has long been desired that an element of versatility be introduced so that varied fabrics can be woven. The present invention admirably meets this objective. In the present invention otherwise conventional looms incorporate mechanism which permits the weaving of decorative patterns into fabrics simultaneously with the formation of the fabrics, the patterns being present as an integral part of the completed fabric.